The union’s national executive confirmed the decision on Saturday, 9th May, with ballots for staff in state-maintained schools set to open on 3rd October and close on 15th December.
The agreement includes the introduction of Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time into sixth form college teachers’ terms and conditions.
According to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), of the 26.9% of teachers considering leaving, only 13.8% of that group subsequently left, while 86% remained in post.
If the ballot is successful and the SFCA does not meet the pay claim, a formal ballot for strike action will follow in the autumn.
Data showed that one in five teachers left their jobs in the last academic year, with more than one in nine leaving the profession entirely.
The survey revealed that 75% of teachers struggle to switch off from work at home, and many work evenings and weekends.
National Education Union members in 32 sixth form colleges continue strike action, with a Westminster rally on 29th January highlighting opposition to unequal pay proposals.
The NEU’s formal strike ballot of over 700 members in 18 Harris secondaries and sixth form colleges opened.
Teaching unions in Northern Ireland have suspended planned industrial action to allow further pay talks to proceed.
The NEU will launch an indicative ballot in March to assess members' support for action in response to the Government’s proposed unfunded 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26.
Sixth form colleges that have become academies were given funding for a 5.5% teacher pay rise through the post-16 schools budget grant.